Tobacco-racking device



of my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. DULA, OF S'l. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TOBACCO-RACKING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,003, dated September 22, 1891.

Application iiled January Z7, 1891. Serial No. 379,240. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that LROBERT B. DULA, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tobacco-Racking Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication.

My present invention refers to certain improvements in the class of machines shown and described in my application for patent filed August 24, 1889,Serial No. 321,889; and my present invention relates to cutting devices for severing the tobacco that laps from one rack onto another, the invention consisting in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a top or plan View illustrative Fig. II is an elevation of the gearing for operating the knife or cutter. Fig. III isa vertical section taken on line III III, Fig. I. Fig. IV is a detail view illustrating the manner of connecting the cutting blocks or strips to the carrying-belts.

Referring to the drawings, l represents racks upon which tobacco is spread, as in my application referred to, by a suitable mechanism-as, for instance, such a mechanism as that shown and described in my application for patent filed August 24, 1889, Serial No.

,321,888. A mechanical device of this or any other kind for spreading` the tobacco upon the racks laps the tobacco from one rack onto another,so that it becomes necessary to sever the tobacco between the racks, and it is to a mechanism for doing this that my present invention relates. The racks l are carried upon endless belts 2, passing around supporting and operating drums 3, onlyone of which is shown, as to this my present invention does not relate. Secured to the belts, as shown in Fig. IV, at intervals apart equal to the width of the racks are blocks or stri ps 4, between which the racks are placed upon the belts. On the upper surface of these blocks rubber or other elastic stri ps5 are placed, so as to form a good cutting-surface for the knife.

6 represents a rotary knife secured to a shaft 7, journaled in boxes 8, secured to the frame 9. The knife is operated by a belt-and pinion connection l0 with the drum 3, (see Fig. IL) and the operatingl mechanism is so disposed that each time one of the cuttingblockstcomes over the drum 3 the knife will come down upon the block, as shown in Fig. III, and sever the tobacco lapping from one rack onto another.

vUnder my invention a very cheap and effective device is produced.

I claim as my inventionl. ln a device for racking tobacco, the coin bination of the racks, carrying-belts, cutting blocks secured to the belts, and a knife, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device for racking tobacco, the combination of the racks, carryingbelts, cuttingblocks secured to the belts, and a rotary knife, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a device for racking tobacco, the coinbination of the racks, carrying-belts, a drum over which the carrying-belts pass, cuttingblocks secured to the belts, a rotary knife, and a connection between said drum and the shaft of the knife, whereby the knife is caused to operate upon the said cutting-blocks as they pass over said drum, as specified.

ROBERT B. DULA. In presence of- THoMAs KNIGHT, E. S. KNIGHT. 

